Powers Homeschool Chatter

Sonlight Physics

2012-01-11T00:34:00.000+08:00

I am really bad about remembering to do Science with my kids. Sad, isn't it? It's not actually that I forget, per se. It is hard for me to teach because I never liked Science in school growing up. Anyway, I ordered a new Science curriculum from Sonlight in the hopes it would inspire me to do like it more.

And the Sonlight Physics set is pretty cool. It comes with a kit that includes all the materials you need for the experiments. And that's monumental, especially living in Africa where there's no Wal-Mart where I can buy supplies!

Homeschool Co-op

2011-11-19T19:08:00.001+08:00

So we were going to a really cool homeschool co-op across town. There are three classes, Swahili, Art, and Writing/Reading, with three ages groups that change classes every 30 minutes.

My kids really enjoyed it. We enjoyed being around other homeschoolers.

But we just had to quit because we have a scheduling conflict for the rest of this semester :(

I hope we can join them again next semester. Or better yet, since there are more and more homeschoolers on our side of town, we might start our own co-op!

Here are a few photos of the kids in the different classes.

Here Sabrina learns the Swahili words for bread, milk, water, egg.

Nicholas was so cute - - he sat and listened to the lesson.

And then when it came time for him to recognize the Swahili words, he did it!

And so did Sabrina. I couldn't believe they remembered the words!

Listening to the story of the day.

But then Nick needed to get closer to the pictures.

This is Nick's art class - - playdoh!! He had a blast.

Rachel's writing class.

Electrical Problems and No Updates

2011-11-19T17:50:00.001+08:00

Wow I am so excited to be sitting at a computer writing a blog post!! (I'm writing this on all my blogs!)

My computer is dead - it somehow got a terrible virus when we arrived here and is completely unusable right now.

Then the power cord on Rachel's computer broke, and we JUST GOT A NEW ONE IN THE MAIL!!! So this is the first time in almost a month that I have been able to type out my homeschool curriculum and print things again and blog again!

It is strange; we have had so many electrical problems since we moved here. Kevin's 65" inch TV died, our VCR (that I just bought in the States this summer), Rachel's iPod dock, our computers, and today our bread machine died. It took me forever to set up our printer and Vonage phone. I still cannot use my fax machine.

To say it is upsetting is an understatement. There have been some days where I just wanted to pack up and leave. And then I remember I am example to the kids and an ambassador for Christ and that we are here for a reason...so we trudge on. We very much look forward to Thanksgiving and our annual family football game and turkey and stuffing :)

Okay I promise my next posts won't be so down :(

Treasure Box & Chore Charts

2011-10-16T01:20:00.000+08:00

Last year I began implementing a great new chore chart system. Found it here.

This system works brilliantly. The kids love doing their chores. At times they even walk around and look for things to do so they can earn tickets. They get one ticket for each chore that they complete, such as getting dressed for the day, brushing their teeth, finishing school, cleaning up their toys, etc.

Gaining 8 tickets earns a trip to the treasure box. I fill the treasure box with all sorts of things, candy and things from the $1 aisle at Target.

My 2yo understands the concepts - he knows if he puts his plate in the sink then he will earn a ticket. But he gets a little confused about the fact he cannot go into the treasure box until he has earned 8 tickets!

Our School Day

2011-10-12T00:04:00.000+08:00

We have been adding more and more things to our curriculum each day so now we are finally settled into our routine. This week I started back the Letter of the Week curriculum with Nick and the K4 Curriculum with Sabrina. I put their activities in their own workboxes. And actually I put two copies of each activity in each drawer in case they want more to do then they can switch. (And normally they want to do what the other is doing anyway!)

This is Nick during Calendar Time. He does not usually know the answers, but he repeats everything his sisters says and he loves it!

Sabrina doing the ABC puzzle.

Emma reading a book from her first box.

This girl is so patient. She waits until I have all three little ones settled before she asks for help.

Nick tracing the letter E.

He shockingly does a really good job of tracing these lines. I love this curriculum!

Do-a-Dots on the letter E.

Matching lower case letters to the capital letters.

Cutting practice. This entertained him for 10 minutes!

Poking holes with toothpicks in the shape of E. Nick had a little trouble with this, but Sabrina enjoyed it.

Pattern cards. I love our little art trays where I put in the little pieces.

Nick likes the pattern cards, too.

Sabrina working on the Do-A-Dot letter E page.

To end our school day, I placed different letter flashcards around the room. I called out, "Sabrina stand on letter Z, Nick stand on letter B," then counted to five, and rang a bell. Both kids rushed to each card and tried to beat the bell. They loved it so much I let them take turns calling out the letters and ringing the bell.

First Day of School Picture

2011-10-10T19:26:00.000+08:00

Okay so it's not the first day of school.

But it's the first day I've been able to get myself and everybody in place for a "first day" photo.

Wow is she really in 7th grade already?!

My awesome First Grader.

And she's not "in school" yet, but she wouldn't be left out...

First Grade Workboxes

2011-10-07T17:58:00.000+08:00

These are the first grade workboxes for Emma. I salvaged our Princess tags from our kindergarten workboxes last year. Emma was very excited.

These are two 3-drawer Sterlites stacked on top of each other. I love these because they are wide enough to hold larger and heavier books.

For reading, I put in a smaller Bob book that Emma reads out loud to me. Then I put a funner easy reader book that she can read to herself.

For spelling this year we are using Spelling Workout. There were a few lessons of review - practicing writing letters and matching beginning sounds and ending sounds. Now we have started the actual list words. The list words are easy for Emma to read, but this is the first time I have called them out loud and asked her to spell them on a piece of paper.

And we are sticking with Abeka for Math. I like their review of concepts with each lesson, both oral and written. This is a good program and they incorporate a lot of different skills and concepts throughout the book.

This is our Language Arts book by the Wise-Bauer folks. I like it because she incorporates poetry memorization and narration from classics as well as pieces of art.

The kids memorized "The Caterpillar" last week. It was Emma's assignment, but my 4 yo and 2 yo heard it so much that they can quote it as well. Amazing. This is why I love homeschooling.

Another Wise-Bauer book for Writing. Great narration exercises and copywork from classic literature.

I love my 1st grader's big letters she uses for her words. I'll miss this one day!

I use a lot of different things for Logic from the Critical Thinking Company. I love this book in particular because Emma uses manipulatives to (for example) replicate the design on the page.

And last but certainly not least, we use My Father's World for history and this year MFW incorporates the Wise-Bauer Story of the World book and activity book. The one addition I have is to photocopy a coloring page that pertains to the lesson for the day. That way my 1st grader can color the page while I read the chapter. It makes it a little easier for her to listen and remember.

I keep the little dude busy with all sorts of activities while I do school with Emma and Rachel. This day he made snowmen with his play-doh. Love this little dude!!

Telling God's Story

2011-09-05T21:57:00.000+08:00

I love writing about new resources. One of the most exciting I have found online so far is from the awesome Susan Wise Bauer.
I was searching for a Bible curriculum for my 1st grader when I happened to stumble across this on Susan's web store. I had no idea she now has a Bible curriculum!

Telling God's Story lessons cover the 36-week school year and includes the following chapters:

Unit 1: Stories Jesus Told
Unit 2: Miracles Jesus Did
Unit 3: Teachings of Jesus
Unit 4: Sermon on the Mount
Unit 5: Jesus' early life
Unit 6: Jesus' Disciples
Unit 7: Opposition to Jesus
Unit 8: The End of Jesus' Life
Unit 9: The Rest of the Story

Included are student activity pages, just like with her history curriculum, to cover all the lessons in the year. We eagerly anticipate receiving this in the mail!!

Home Leave

2011-07-26T21:48:00.000+08:00

We are in the States for Home Leave this summer, so I haven't had a chance to write any posts!

Boy I miss homeschooling. Vacation is great, don't get me wrong. But my little kids do so much better when we are settled. And though transition is tough, I am so thankful to have this time for shopping and friends and family. (Not necessarily in that order!)

I am researching curriculum online while we are here. This is one of the funnest times of the year!!

Article in the HSLDA newsletter

2011-07-25T21:41:00.002+08:00

Here is an article I wrote that was featured in HSLDA's international newsletter back in March.

Here's the link.

Taiwan

March 9, 2011

Local Homeschool Group Helps American Family Connect

After moving to Taiwan, The Powers family felt isolated as home educators until they connected with a vibrant local homeschool support group.

Students attend a meeting with Taiwan Homeschool Advocates.

The Powers ride a cable to Maokong in one of many field trips with THA.

By Jessica Powers

A year and a half ago my family and I moved from our cozy little home in Northern Virginia to Taipei, Taiwan for my husband’s job. We are a homeschooling family with four kids, ages 11, 5, 3, and 2, so we were anxious to get settled and begin learning about the Taiwanese culture. As soon as we arrived, however, I realized we were the only American homeschoolers in our community, and perhaps even in the whole city. That might not seem very daunting, but we come from the Washington, D.C. area that is abundant with homeschoolers and co-ops.

I used to boast to my non-homeschooling friends that my county in Northern Virginia has so many homeschoolers that we have our own soccer league comprised of four different teams. Just in our county alone! And we were heavily involved in our local co-op, which provided a weekly support group for moms, classes for the kids such as debate, drama, and choir, as well as annual school photos and a yearbook. So needless to say, going from that to being the only homeschooler in my area was definitely one of the hardest parts for me about moving to Taiwan.

At first we tried learning about the culture by taking language classes and going on a few outings hosted by the community center. My sixth-grader was always the only child on these types of trips. That spurred many questions from Taiwanese women as to why my child was not in school. Many of these questions caught me completely off guard at first, because I was so used to being “normal” as a homeschooler in D.C.

After a while, I felt as if we were really missing something. We began to feel isolated and out of touch with the people around us, even though we lived in the culture and among the people.

Thankfully, a few short months later, a new friend informed me of a group called the Taiwan Homeschool Advocates (THA). It is an online homeschooling support group, with monthly outings to places around Taipei and Taiwan. What a marvelous find for me! The biggest impact for me was the fact that the leader, Tim Chen, is Taiwanese and yet speaks English as if it were his first language! Not only are we invited to their monthly events, but every month Tim is pivotal in helping me locate the events, since driving here in Taipei tends to be difficult due to addresses that are written in Chinese. Many times we are both on our cell phones: “Okay where are you now? Turn left.”

I feel so blessed to have connected to Tim and this group. Through THA, our family has been able to participate in many things that otherwise we would never have known about, let alone find on our own.

We have had many eye-opening experiences with this group since we began attending the monthly outings. At Yingge Ceramics Museum my kids made their own pottery, toured the museum, and learned the history of pottery and ceramics in Taiwan. One month we rode a gondola (cable car) to Maokong, over the Taipei Zoo, over a mountain, and to a plant dyeing facility where the kids learned how to tie-dye their own handkerchiefs. We celebrated Christmas American-style at a local ice skating rink outfitted with a snow machine and even a visit from Santa Claus! The most memorable event for us was the trip to JingMei Human Rights Memorial where we had the rare opportunity to tour the former military detention center and hear the incredible life story of a Taiwanese man who was a political prisoner there at one time. Tim graciously interpreted the entire story to us as the gentleman recounted his childhood and experiences during the 40 years of martial law in Taiwan. Our time here in Taiwan will eventually end. Because of the Taiwan Homeschool Advocates group, we have been able to more fully experience the people and culture here. We now have memories we will take with us for the rest of our lives of this beautiful island, Formosa.

Jessica Powers is a homeschool mom of four living with her family in Taiwan.

Evergreen Maritime Museum

2011-05-30T15:17:00.001+08:00

I love the homeschool group here in Taiwan. I am so blessed to have found them, even if it was at the end of our first year here. Each month they coordinate outings. They choose places I would never have found on my own since I do not speak the language here.

This month was the Evergreen Maritime Museum. Rachel really enjoyed it. We had just studied steamboats in our history timeline, so she was excited to read the exhibits about Robert Fulton.

The younger ones, on the other hand, got a little RESTLESS!
A hands-off museum is definitely not their speed, so we hung out in the little coffee cafe until the end of the tour :)

And we definitely hit the gift shop. I purchased a poster of a nautical map of Taiwan from back in the 1500s. We plan to get it framed. It is beautiful.

The DIY activities made a great ending for the day!

Chicken Bird

2011-05-29T17:20:00.000+08:00

This is another interesting bird that is constantly in our yard.

We have not figured out who he is yet...

But our neighbor friends have donned him the Chicken Bird. That seems to fit nicely.

Letter G

2011-05-28T17:16:00.000+08:00

These first few pictures are from one morning when my two younger kids woke up very early.

On those days I am very happy to have this Letter Curriculum to keep them busy!

I love how my 2-year-old cut things. He gets frustrated after a few minutes and then will just rip the paper!

Taiwan Blue Magpie, 長尾山娘

2011-05-24T13:44:00.003+08:00

Okay here is one of our favorite little guys in Taiwan.

The Formosan Blue Magpie. 長尾山娘.

We have tried to photograph him for many months, now.

And fortunately he and four of his family/friends decided to make a home near our neighborhood.

So these guys constantly fly over our house and in our backyard.

Rachel completed a wonderful report about them and included it in her Science Notebook.

These birds are endemic to mountainous parts of Taiwan, so we are very excited to get to know them in our time here in Taiwan!

The Dining Room Homeschooler

2011-05-21T13:54:00.003+08:00

I began using the dining room table for homeschooling this year.

And I do not like it.

Why?

Because that means I have to clean the dining room table three times a day, after every meal, so we will not get our materials dirty.

Such a hassle.

I really hope to have a separate homeschooling room in our new place in August.

This is my dream:

I did not need to be organized when I first began homeschooling four years ago. I did not need a homeschooling room. Just a shelf. But now with teaching three kids (next year), I definitely have to be more organized.

Now I pray I can find some cute desks when I am in the States next month!

Posters from Sue Patrick

2011-05-18T22:48:00.002+08:00

The kids are learning their states and capitals this year.
I found a great Center activity from Sue Patrick's Workbox website.

You can make your own if you have the poster, but I ordered the one she makes and sells that comes pre-laminated with the Velcro dots already on the pieces.

I love these hands-on activities!

In on the Action

2011-05-11T15:13:00.000+08:00

Here is the 2 year old again. Getting in on the action!

The kindergartener was doing this pattern activity, and afterward he jumped up and started matching the correct pieces to the board. I would never have given this for him to do. He continues to surprise me with his ability and interest in his sister's activities.

I love my large, homeschooling family!

Table Top Chart Math

2011-05-10T15:09:00.001+08:00

Since my kindergartener dislikes math...(see previous posts!)...I try to change it up a bit.

Here we are using our table top chart to do addition.

Clearly we need a little more work in this area.

5 + 2 = 3?? I don't think so...

Uniforms

2011-05-09T16:17:00.003+08:00

I'm doing it.

I'm switching to uniforms-style type of clothing for the kids.

Every day is a battle. At first my 3 yo was very *choosy* about what she wanted to wear every single day.

Now that phase has switched to my 5yo. She has 26 pair of shorts/skirts in her closet, but there is only one or two pair that she will actually put on.
We spend many minutes every morning fighting over clothing when they should be starting their schoolwork.

Why do they have so much clothing? When I lived in the States, I bought a lot of clothing at yard sales. Good stuff for good prices.

But at this point, the kids have too many choices. Which makes them completely indecisive.
The daily battle will end.

So when we are on Home Leave this year, I plan to shop at Old Navy.

I will find a style such as this:

and

and for the kid that only wears dresses:

Perfect solution!! Old Navy here I come!

Lacing Cards

2011-05-09T15:01:00.000+08:00

I bought these Animal Lace-Up Cards for my kindergartener this year.

She has outgrown these a bit, so my 2 year old wanted to try them.

He does not lace the A to B to C correctly yet. He just loves lacing the shoe strings in and out of the cards.
These are super easy to make at home. Laminate your picture, punch holes in it, find a shoestring, and voila! Great for hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills too. It definitely keeps my little guy happy and occupied for several minutes!

100th Day Celebration

2011-05-09T14:51:00.005+08:00

When Emma finished the Teach Your Child How to Read in 100 Easy Lessons book, we had a 100th day party!

Emma invited her best friend, who is also a homeschooling kindergartener that lives next door!

We had a lot of activities that dealt with 100s. This one was to count out 100 froot loops and string them onto a necklace.

And of course we read Miss Bindergarten Celebrates the 100th Day. As well as One Hundred Hungry Ants.

I found a lot of 100 printables online. Free!

The kids enjoyed Do-A-Dot with their number sheets.

We counted to 100 by 10's, by 5's, by 2's, and then by 100's. (Yes, that would just be "100"!!)

And of course we counted out M&M's by 10s and ate them ten at a time.

And flavored jelly beans!! After all the sugar intake, we ran outside and did 100 jumping jacks (counting by 10's of course), 100 one-leg jumps, and 100 hula hoop swings.

Our friend's mom brought PIZZA BACK FROM COSTCO!!!! It was a perfect ending to a wonderful, wonderful morning!!!

Free Fun

2011-05-08T14:59:00.001+08:00

Who needs fancy games and equipment?

The kids have more fun with the boxes anyway!

Alphabet Cookie Cutters

2011-05-07T14:43:00.000+08:00

The kids love their alphabet cookie cutters. Play-doh is a huge consumable in our house. It is hard to reuse because the kids smash all the colors together! So we go through play-doh pretty fast, but that's okay! They love rolling it out and making the different letters.

Letter M

2011-05-06T14:32:00.004+08:00

Our Letter M week was very fun! It was colorful and the kids loved using real M&Ms as manipulatives!
What kid wouldn't love that??!

My neighbor let me borrow her M&M Counting book. What a hit! I definitely need to purchase that for our library. It fits in the Letter of the Week curriculum perfectly.

Cutting Practice

Hard to keep them from eating the M&M's!!

Size Sorting

Sabrina finishing the patterns

The M puzzle, backwards...

Ah there it is the correct way!

And nice weather means on some days we get to take our activities outdoors!

The Do-A-Dot Art continues to be a favorite with the kids.

Capital M vs. Lowercase M

Allowance and Think Big Science

2011-05-05T16:12:00.000+08:00

The other night I pulled out a couple of new games.

These were such a big hit.

My husband had to occupy my 2 year old in the other room while we played because he kept grabbing the pieces off the game board!

This first one uses life-size fake coins and fake dollars.
It is similar to Monopoly, in that you go around the board and collect "money" based on the cards you draw from the deck. Sometimes you earn money for doing specific chores. Sometimes you pay out money for a magazine subscription, for example.

I did not think the 5 year old and 4 year old would enjoy it, but the 4 year old smoked us all!
She kept landing on spaces in which she earned money. And she was so excited about it!
There is no skill attached to playing the game, it's really a game of chance and luck.
But it is a great way to count money, give change, and learn how to take turns.
I think my young ones finally got the idea of "turn taking" by the end of the game.

The next game we played was not one of chance and luck, but a game of knowledge. It is a science trivia game. The questions in the box are separated into different levels. Upon answering the correct question you move up a level to a harder question.

Surprisingly, my 5 year old was the winner of this game!

She answered science questions that made me wonder how in the world she obtained that information! So I like this game, too, because it gives me some sort of indicator as to what the kids have learned and what they know as a whole.

Little Kids' Book Storage

2011-04-23T20:47:00.001+08:00

More organizing going on in this part of the globe.

I just feel like I have to get super organized before we move in a few weeks, so when we get to our new place everything will be set up and ready to go!

My little kids' books dominated one bookshelf. With no real order. It is hard to put those in order by author's last name, etc when so many of them are just tiny little books.

So I found an idea from another person's blog (1+1+1=1: Behind the Scenes ~ Book Storage) and immediately fell in love with her system.

I love, love, LOVE having the little kids' books set up like this. Now I can just pull out whatever box I need for whatever category. I used to pull out books before - but I would spend many minutes of my life flipping through every book on the shelf looking for the Valentine books, for example. Now I know exactly where they are on my shelf.

I am so happy!

Kindergarten Workbox

2011-04-20T15:11:00.003+08:00

I bought the Sue Patrick workbox system at the beginning of the school year for my 6th grader.

I loved the concept, but did not really like the set-up for her.

I did not like the collection of boxes on the floor at the end of the day.

And I did not like having to put up the boxes every night. I generally do homeschool planning on Saturday or Sunday, not every night.

So I put the book on the shelf and forgot about the workbox system.

Then a few weeks ago someone facebooked about their system. They use drawers for their workboxes. And I love that! No more boxes on the floor at the end of the day!

So I bought these drawers for my kindergartener this week at RT mart. She had started to get whiny lately, "How much more school do we have to do?" or "I wish I was Sabrina. She doesn't have to do school."

Today was the first day we implemented the workboxes. And she did pretty good. She could see how much progress she had left, which reduced the "how much left?" question every five minutes. And she seemed to work more efficiently when she realized there were two boxes with fun activities in them. Having Disney Princess workbox numbers helped too! And the fact that I put a snack in Box Number 3 made all the difference, too.

This is my view from the dining room table where I do school with Emma. On good days my 4yo and 2yo can play together in the back yard. (You can barely see them in the tree!)

So here's to hoping this system continues to work for us! Cheers!

Workbox Yahoo Group

2011-04-16T08:31:00.004+08:00

Sue Patrick's Workbox System has its own yahoo group. Find it here.

Super excited about this as I am looking for ideas of how to organize our homeschool room next year at our new post.

There are pictures in the Photo section of how 100 different families set up their workboxes.

Good stuff. Can't wait to get reading!

Arrived In the Mail Today!

2011-04-11T18:59:00.002+08:00

Amazon.com Widgets

Letter E

2011-04-10T21:01:00.006+08:00

Last week we had fun with Letter E from the Letter of the Week curriculum.

(You can find it here.)

This curriculum uses the same activities each week, like the letter tracing, graphing, sorting by size, etc, but with the new letter and new picture each week.

And honestly by week two I was pretty tired of the "same activity". (Unfortunately I do not have a degree in child development though sometimes it would be useful with a house full of toddlers!).

And then I read this article that explained why Little Ones need and love repetition:

"While adults crave variety, a toddler needs repeated confirmation that things stay the same. So much is new and overwhelming for a toddler, but repeating an activity helps her learn what to expect. That’s why repetitive songs such as “Old McDonald Had a Farm” are such a big hit at this age; there’s a predictable pattern that empowers little ones with the knowledge of what’s going to happen next. This is why your child may want you to read the same story over and over again night after night. Knowing what comes next is the fun part. Being able to predict what characters are going to do is a skill one-year-olds don’t possess in most other circumstances."

So I get it now. I might get tired of the letter collages week to week, but it really reinforces what my toddlers are learning. And it's exactly what they need at this stage. They love it. And that makes me a very happy Mommy!

Here are the rest of the pictures of our week. The weather was so nice that we did our activities outside as much as possible.

Integer Chess

2011-04-08T14:46:00.004+08:00

I love passing on information about things that we use and love.

This is a "game" that my husband and 6th grader play together occasionally.

I have never played it with my daughter, so I did not know what she was learning.

This year we started pre-algebra. And when we came to integers and graphing equations, my daughter announced excitedly that she already knew how to do it. I couldn't believe it!

And she did! Hooray for math games!

I ordered it from School Specialty, and paid around $30 for it. I noticed it's also at amazon for around $20.

Abeka Math and Bob Books

2011-04-06T09:43:00.001+08:00

This is our Abeka Math Book for kindergarten. We have been pretty satisfied with their Numbers program this year. So far in addition we are up to 4+3.

A few days ago when I pulled out the book, Emma said, "Oh no, not pluses again."

To which I replied, "Oh sweetheart, you will be doing addition your whole life."

To which she replied, "Oh, that's just terrible," in a dramatic voice.

Come on, at least one of my children has to like math! My 6th grader really disliked pre-algebra this year, yet I was so excited about it. But I have faith that one of my kids will enjoy it like I did!

And these are our cute little Bob books. I can now give her a couple of books and ask her to read to her little brother and sister. I love this stage!

My Favorite Kid Apps

2011-04-05T14:29:00.006+08:00

I love my iPod touch. For many reasons. And so do my kids.

(Which is why my screen is busted...so letting the kids use your Touch/iPhone has its

disadvantages, too...)

But there are many apps I love to let my kids play with. It is quite brilliant - they think they are playing a video game when actually they are learning their letter sounds!!

Here are some of my favorite by tamtrum apps. Most are free, especially for the Lite versions.

This is my other favorite free app. My kindergartener this year learned to read using the Bob Books series. It is very fun for her to see the pictures on the screen.

Okay last one. These below from Learning Touch are also really great as well. The Sampler is free, but the full version cost a few bucks. My two-year-old loves these. He can spell all the pictures now because of this app!

Scribble and Write

2011-04-03T17:45:00.004+08:00

My favorite new item for beginning writers:

This is Leapfrog's Scribble and Write.

My 3-year-old received it as a Christmas gift this year.

Surprisingly, my 2 year old loves it just as much.

It has many options such as writing upper case letters, writing lower case, tracing lines, tracing circles, etc.

The best option is that it says the name of the letter and the letter sound.

This is the one thing my kids will

sit and play with for 20 minutes uninterrupted.

Wish I would've found it sooner. Thanks Aunt Kristin. This has been monumental to schooling my kids!

Organizing my Kindergarten Manipulatives

2011-03-23T15:58:00.000+08:00

I have been up to something. Something really fun.

Reorganizing my shelves. (Just in time for pack-out in 9 weeks!)

I know, I know, my husband is thinking, "Doesn't she reorganize the shelves every week?"

I do! But this time I found a new system. I have become completely overrun by all the kindergarten manipulatives we have purchased this year. So I took them out of their boxes and put them in these containers on my bookshelf. Now I can see what I have because everything is in the same, clear box in the same place.

It makes me so happy! I will show you the finished product soon!

6 Weeks Work, 1 Week Break

2011-03-22T07:55:00.002+08:00

Since living in Taiwan I began ordering this magazine. I enjoy a lot of their articles.

In this particular issue, there is an article entitled, "And on the Seventh Day God Rested". You can find the full text article here.

The author writes about her homeschooling schedule. She homeschools pretty much year round, does school for 6 weeks, then takes a week break, then takes a 4 week break at Christmas, a 4 week-ish break at summer, and several breaks during the rest of the year.

I love that! I think most homeschoolers realize how *dangerous* a three month summer vacation is for our kids' brains. And then the fact you have to spend the first 2 months reviewing concepts from the previous year. A total waste of time. I pretty much have always homeschooled year round, taking a 4-6 week break at summer. A lengthy review at the beginning of the year is not needed - we just keep going.

But this is the first I have read about a 6 week work, one week rest type of schedule. I am really encouraged by that idea, because like the author pointed out, that one week would give me time to catch up on appointments, catch up on paperwork, do a bit more planning for the next 6 weeks. It fits perfectly into our current schedule because we were off for a couple of weeks in February, and have been working pretty hard these past 5 weeks.

So I guess the kids will be off for spring break at the same time as the kids in the neighborhood. Praying for good weather so we can play in on our new slip-n-slide outside!!

Letter K Activities

2011-03-21T15:35:00.000+08:00

Things have changed around our home a bit since Vicky left.

Before, the kids and I played outside all morning or went to the park and we just had fun.

And if I decided to do a reading lesson with Emma, for example, I could always ask Vicky to take the little kids to the playground so I could have some quiet time with Emma. But the majority of the school work waited until the little kids' naptime.

Now, it's back to being a normal mom: I am the only one in the house all day with the kids. During the little kids' naptime I need to start dinner preparations, do a bit of house cleaning, do any business on the computer, and do the serious school work with the older kids such as pre-algebra and reading lessons. So that means the majority of the morning is spent doing kindergarten with Emma. And that means I have to find ways of keeping the Littles busy.

Thankfully I found a website (more on that later) that stresses the importance of spending time playing and learning with the Littles too so they don't get lost in the morning-time shuffle.

I had plenty of time for activities with the kids before, so now I have to be more proactive about doing those activities since I tend to get (mentally) lost in house work during the day.

So here's what I found: Tot School for Nicholas and Raising Rock Stars Preschool for Sabrina.

One thing at a time. It will take me a couple of days to get it all together. Yes, I realize there are only 2 months left in the year. I plan to keep it going (though maybe not as intense) throughout the summer.

This is what we did today. Letter K activities. All the downloads are available here. I laminated most all the activities so we can use them again with the next kid :)

Kite Size-Sorting: We put these in order small to big and big to small then talked about which is largest, 2nd largest, smallest, and 2nd smallest.
Kite Puzzle: Sabrina did not have very much patience for the puzzle.

Emma was able to help her with it.

Kite Pattern Block Page: We used this with our wooden blocks. Can't believe Sabrina enjoyed this one!

Unifix Cubes Tracing: Emma linked the 1" cubes together to trace the letter K.

Cut & Glue Kite: Downloads are here. Sabrina enjoyed this, too, and even used the scissors successfully.

Tot School: Here is my Tot School setup. This sat on the floor for a while with no interest from the 2 year old.
Eventually two of the kids began to play.

And then the one to whom it was intended for (there, in the red), finally became interested. And then the mess began!

Kite Pom-Pom Sheet: And much to my joy, he then became interested in the activities the girls were doing.

He became a little frustrated with the glue and pom-poms, so he switched to gluing foam animals to the page.
So overall it was a good activity morning, especially since we could not go outside due to the chilly rain.

I was able to finish Emma's work with her in enough time to let the kids watch PlaySchool before lunch. (Playschool is an Australian children's show sort of like Mister Rogers or Sesame Street that broadcasts here every morning. We love it!).

Now...for naptime!

Letter K

2011-03-20T18:08:00.001+08:00

Now that I am back...I have been browsing lots of homeschool blogs.

Wow some of these moms really have their act together!

Right now I am downloading, printing, and laminating a lesson based on the letter K, using a kite theme I found here.

I have two little ones that can have fun with these different activities while I do school with the older two. I am so thankful for all the ideas online!

I'm Baaaaack!

2011-03-20T16:50:00.000+08:00

I have taken a hiatus from my homeschool blog.

And now I have decided to come back.

Blogs are meant to encourage and support one another.

We have been in Taiwan for the past 2 years.

Boy we have all changed and grown so much in that time.

So much to catch up on!

Glad to be back,

Letter Factory

2011-03-17T21:49:00.001+08:00

My 2 year old knows his letter sounds, except J and Y.

And he cannot even talk yet!

Thank you, LeapPad's Letter Factory!

(I'll try to make a video of him soon!)

Schooling the Masses

2011-03-02T20:26:00.000+08:00

So how do I homeschool a Kindergartener and a 6th grader with a 4 year old and a 2 year old in the room?

The subjects that require quiet and concentration must be done after lunch during the little kids' naps. Such as history or reading or math.

But we are able to get a lot done before lunch. All the kids can be involved in P.E., reading outloud, Bible story, alphabet review, numbers games, science games, character lessons, etc.

Today, I pulled out the Science file folder games, incorporated Sabrina with an easier game (matching seasons with the appropriate clothing) and I laid out the blocks for Nick to build while I worked with a harder game for Emma. Emma's game dealt with animals and the type of coverings like fur, scales, or feathers.

And then Nicholas decided he wanted to match up the cards in the game, too.

That is one of the biggest advantages of homeschooling little ones along with the big ones. They get to experience all the learning that is going on also!

So this is an ideal day. An ideal setting for school time.

But not all days are like this. I have found, though, that the more time I put into being proactive and planning activities for them beforehand, the better their moods and behavior.

One-on-one time. Vital!

The Other Two Percent

2010-11-23T20:29:00.000+08:00

Ninety-Eight percent of the time I love homeschooling my kids, I love being a stay-at-home mom, I love being with my kids all day, and my kids are precious to me.

But days like yesterday cannot be classified under the category of "Days That I Loved".

Yesterday was definitely one of those "two-percent" days.

Nothing happened in particular. I am not sure why it was such a bad day. Maybe it was the perfect storm of: 1) Mommy's in a bad mood (pms?!), 2) The kids have been sick for two months, 3) We are behind in a few of our school lessons, 4) The kids fight and are in bad moods, 5) Everything seems disorganized and out of control, 6) Mommy needs to catch up on sleep and emails and relationships, etc.

Clearly, I do not have a rough life. I constantly feel blessed by everything the Lord has provided us. But there a few days out of the year where I feel like I CANNOT do this. All these kids. Their entire education. Their behaviors. Their upbringing. Training them up in the Lord.

Sometimes it seems overwhelming. And that it would be so much easier just to ship them off to a school everyday.

I think part of my issue is the lack of homeschooling support here. I really really really miss my homeschool friends in DC. My homeschool co-op. A support group is just that: giving encouragement to others in their time of need and receiving encouragement from others when I need it. And the kids could be involved in things that I have difficulty doing alone, such as art, drama, music classes, Christmas parties and programs, school photos, yearbooks!

So on those two percent days, I have to just take a deep breath (or seven), tell Jesus I depend on Him and cannot do it without Him, and remember the promises God has given me. Remember why I homeschool in the first place. Hope the day passes quickly, and realize that tomorrow is a new day.

Felicity

2010-09-28T20:32:00.000+08:00

I have never seen an eleven-year-old girl so excited.

Rachel read the whole Felicity American Girl series, including the Mystery series, to supplement our study of the Colonial American period.

So I surprised her with the Felicity movie that arrived in the mail yesterday.

We are just sitting down to watch it after we finished our studies this morning.

I love the influence this set of books has on her.

On Saturday after breakfast I said out loud to myself, "What shall we do today...."

Rachel said, in an English accent, "Well, I thought I would venture outside to gather flowers to press and then sketch a bit of wildlife."

She makes my heart smile.

What a little treasure!

ClickSchooling

2010-09-22T20:34:00.000+08:00

Clickschooling: I love this site! If you are homeschooling and not on the listserv, you can register here to receive daily emails.
Today I received a link to order a free DVD entitled the Great Migration from National Geographic.

On NatGeo's website they offer the entire curriculum based on the video - with worksheets, pictures, videos, activities, maps, and other web resources.

Did I mention it's free?

I love, love the ideas I receive in my inbox every day. (I sound like a TV commercial!). But I have no homeschool support system here, so any ideas and resources are VERY welcomed by me!

Here is the breakdown of what is sent each day:

•Monday is Math
•Tuesday is Science
•Wednesday is Language Arts
•Thursday is Social Sciences
•Friday is a Virtual Field Trip
•Saturday is for Music, Art, & Foreign Languages

Secret Love

2010-08-10T20:35:00.000+08:00

Okay I have a secret.

This is a sentence I NEVER thought I would utter in my entire life.

I am falling in love with...HISTORY!!!

To be honest, I have never liked studying history. I forced myself to memorize names of presidents in high school. I never thought it was interesting. Learning about wars and civilizations was the least fun part of school for me.

And as a homeschooler, I thought I would really dislike this portion of my day.

However, having learned so much about myself in these past few years, I realize the reason I never liked History was because of the way it was taught to me. See, there is something in my brain that has to know all about the subject before I can fully appreciate it or even understand it. For instance, Kevin and I took ballroom dancing lessons once. So before our very first lesson, I bought several books about the history of ballroom dancing, the mechanics, examples of the steps, etc. So I felt more prepared on my first lesson. I felt complete and ready to learn how to dance.

In my experience growing up and in many homeschool history curriculum I have seen, only bits and pieces of history are thrown at the student randomly from year to year.

Fortunately I discovered the My Father's World history curriculum. They teach the entire course of history - from creation to modern times - in four years.

This is the book we are using now:

This is a very classical method of teaching, and I love it! The Well-Trained Mind (the classical how-to method book) teaches this four year round three times in a kids' life. So in First grade a kid learns Creation to the Greeks. Second grade is Rome to the Reformation, etc. In Grade Five the kid starts over again with Creation to the Greeks, but goes a little deeper and gets more into the logic of the teaching.

For instance, in first grade a kid would learn that Queen Elizabeth never married. In 5th grade when the student encounters that again, she knows Queen E never married, and then adds the Why? Why did Queen E never marry?

Okay I did not mean to get into the Classical Method so much in this post.

I just meant to say that sometimes kids do not learn things or are not interested in things because they are not taught the subject the way their brains work.

For history to make sense to me, I needed to learn it chronologically. Not bits and pieces.

And for the first time I can say I am soooo excited about the history lessons this year. I am not intimidated by history anymore. I love it! We are studying America's early history, the Revolutionary War, etc. There are so many awesome kids' historical fiction novels to go along with our curriculum. I've already read some of them this summer! I cannot wait to read them along with Rachel and discuss them.

Looking forward to an exciting school year!!

Home Economics

2009-09-14T21:46:00.000+08:00

I love homeschooling my fifth grader. I love it more and more every year.
This year we added Home Economics to our curriculum. This particular one is by Christian Light Publications. There are ten units to their Home Ec curriculum. The first four units are about food preparation, meal planning, basic nutrition, smart food shopping, and kitchen organization. What fun topics!
Rachel has learned basic kitchen safety, how to use large and small kitchen appliances, how to read and follow recipes, all the names of the kitchen tools, and definitions of the directions in recipes such as boil, simmer, whisk, and dice.

One of my goals as a mother, and one of our family values (AKA "Powers Foundations"), is to teach our children how to run an entire household before they leave our household. When my kids leave for college, they will know how to manage a budget and keep up a checkbook, launder their own clothes, shop and cook for their own families, sew, take care of babies, etc.

The older the kids become, the more responsibilities they will be given. I want my kids to (each) eventually cook dinner once a week when they become mature enough to do so. Rachel is excited about this - she is very close to that big day!

For now, though, let's see how she does on her Home Ec test tomorrow!

Fall Break

2008-11-21T06:14:00.000+08:00

No updates recently as we had a baby on Nov 11.
We are taking a fall break from school so we can adjust to the new baby and new schedule (mom's lack of sleep schedule)!
That's the beauty of homeschooling: I can stop and start whenever I want to.
My schedule is my own!
Ahhh, it's in times like these I am especially thankful to be a homeschooler!

2008-11-08T04:53:00.000+08:00

So the family in 'Six for the Road' is not the first family to RV and homeschool across the country.

Lisa Whelchel (Blair from 'Facts of Life') did this a few years ago with her homeschooling family of 5. She journaled every week from the road. I would love to do this with my family sometime but unfortunately my husband's job is not a job in which we can travel around the country in an RV. If he ever changes his line of work, though...we are totally hitting the road!

A Nice Homeschool Article

2008-11-04T10:37:00.000+08:00

Here is a nicely worded article about homeschoolers (imagine that!) in one of the local papers. It talks about the different reasons people homeschool in this area.
One of my friends, Lisa, was interviewed in the article and talks about the way they do things in their home school.
Great article Lisa!

Math Curriculum Share

2008-10-31T04:10:00.000+08:00

We had a Math Curriculum Share at co-op a couple of weeks ago. I thought I'd share some of the other moms' favorite resources:

Math Handheld Games:
Flashmaster ($50, Con's: Beeps at you when you're wrong)
Math Shark ($30, Pro's: Has an option to turn the volume off)

Math Games:
Muggins, Math Bingo, Math-It, Math Wrap-Ups, Crayola makes big inflatable cubes that you kick around and add up, Suduko, Make 7, Hols de Geler, Take it Easy, Math Tutt

Play cards:
Canastra, gin rummy, canastra, M&M poker

Math for the computer:
The Quarter Mile, http://www.thequartermile.com/ (computer or log on and race yourself or others),
Jumpstart by Frogger, Equation Editor (set up from Microsoft Office, helps set up equations on the computer), Clue-finders (fun level for each grade), Math Blaster, Gold Medal Math (pick a sport and the athelete’s success depends upon the student’s performance)

Supplements:
Math Card Games by Dr. Joan Cotter, Games for Learners by Peggy Kayes, Keys to Success (thin books w/ good concepts), Dive CDs (Negatives: can be boring), Math Facts set to Hip Hop Music for Elementary ages (hiphop-edu.com), Calculadders, Keys to Math, Dianne Craft has lots of Right Brain Math ideas on her website, Touch Math, Math Dice

Cooking and Math:
Gobble-up, Math Chef

Math for Higher Grade Curriculums:
UCSMP (Chicago Math Recommended after Saxon 7.6, not rigorous, lots of fluff), Jacobs (for all areas), ACE, Transitions Math, Videotext (Combo DVD of Alg 1 & 2), Teaching Textbooks (Very good and has everything, very basic though), Dr. Kalihans

Math for Lower Grade Curriculums:
Elementary Moving With Math (very basic), Horizons K-6, Math U See (very visual, good at calculating), Saxon (lack of word problems, too many overall problems), Right Start Math,
KNEX, Singapore (www.singaporemath.com, great word problems), Math with Fred, Making Math Meaningful (Cornerstone Curriculum), Right Brain Math, Abeka (great for lower grades),
Potter’s School (online, real-time courses, http://www.thepottersschool.com/).

Road Schooling

2008-10-29T01:24:00.000+08:00

Now this is the ultimate in HomeSchooling. I would loooove to do this. Just like in the movie RV (with Robin Williams) - which is one of my favorite movies.

The Loud Family (Living Our Ultimate Dream) is a homeschooling family that RV's full time. About a year ago they realized they were becoming too caught up and too busy with daily routines, so they began a journey to take back their lives. They sold everything they owned and bought an RV to travel the country as a family.

TLC has picked up their story and will be broadcasting their adventure as Six For The Road.

How fun!

Kevin and I plan to RV the country when we retire. Can't wait!!

2008-10-28T22:53:00.001+08:00

Losing Their Salt and Light

2008-10-28T03:26:00.000+08:00

Read an interesting article that talks about a Christian parent's mandate to instruct their children in the Word. I love this. I love how it also points out: it's not the church's job to teach my children about Christ. It's MINE!

“Parents are directed to raise their children in the fear and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4). Moreover, their obligation is not to instruct their children in the Word occasionally, but to do so all of the time (Deut 6:6) yet today, most Christian parents behave as if there are passages in the Bible instructing them to give the education of their children over to anti-christian government schools and telling them that exposing their children to Christianity two or three hours a week is sufficient. (Bruce Shortt, The Harsh Truth About Public Schools, p.21).
Only one hundred hours a year of AWANA, VBS, and Sunday school does not fulfill Deuteronomy 6, and is no match for 1,000 hours of seat time in the pagan public schools, year after year after year. Our children are losing their saltiness and their light is being extinguished."

Saturday Night Live Skit on Vaccinations

2008-10-28T01:48:00.000+08:00

On Saturday Night Live, (Oct. 23) the spoof news report "Weekend Update" ran a report announcing that more children are being homeschooled so that parents can avoid giving them vaccines:

Amy Poehler read, "There's a growing trend among some parents toward homeschooling children because they believe that mandated vaccinations for public schools are unsafe. This is expected to lead to another new trend - dying of polio."

(So instead of getting autism, they can die of polio.)

I did not laugh. I do not think it is funny. I have pretty intense feelings and viewpoints on vaccinations: TOO MANY, TOO SOON. (Google that phrase). This post would be too long if I jotted down all my opinions. But I am so mad at the medical community on so many levels.

Don't tell me that my hours-old newborn needs a Hepatitis shot. Or that every newborn's little immune system can handle the same numerous injections of live viruses. Give me a break.

The point: If you are a parent, DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH. Don't blindly do what the doctor tells you to do. You are responsible for your own children. Stand up for your kids! There is just no excuse for being uninformed in today's world of information.

Here's a great starting place: The Vaccine Book: Making the Right Decision for Your Child by Dr. Sears. I love the things Dr. Sears says in this book. Here's also a Q&A he conducted on a Mom's Blog.

And, yes, certain immunizations are important, especially if you travel or plan to live overseas like we do in the near future. But I refuse to let some nurse cram numerous live viruses into my new baby's blood just because it's on her chart to do so that day.

Here's what I do right now because of our situation: Space out the injections. Break up the MMR. Don't give your baby his shot if he's sick and has a weakened immune system already that week (which seems to be our problem every time I try to make an appointment!!). Be informed!

Reasons I Love to Homeschool

2008-10-14T04:00:00.000+08:00

At co-op last week we shared reasons why we loved Homeschooling.

Here are a few of my favorite:

Free coffee at Starbucks on Teacher Days.
Even though moving often (such as military families), you can keep schooling consistent.
Can vacation during school months since tourist attractions are less crowded.
More family time, closer bonds.
Extra-curricular activities can be done midday as opposed to Saturday morning.
No homework.
We set our own holidays.
Others' world views are not imposed on our children.
Spiritual growth focus.
Don't have to drag younger kids to the bus stop.
Can participate in Staples/Office Depot educator quantities for the free back-to-school materials.
Can stay longer on a subject that is interesting to the kids.
No PTA!
No fund raising (selling wrapping paper or magazines) for public school.
Get to choose what kids are learning.
Are able to teach kids life skills (laundry, cooking, etc.).
Kids don't have to be in just one grade level.
Get to take full advantage of the library.
Can discipline our kids the way we want to.
Have the opportunity to socialize our own kids as opposed to other kids doing it for us!
No morning rush every day.
By the end of the day, you know your kids.
Real life socialization (exposure to different ages, different personalities), which is better preparation for real world interactions.
Don't have to edit out God from history.
School prayer is encouraged.
Character development is built into our day.
Variety of classroom locations (change of scenery).
Non-segregated life - babies and teens are together all day.
Parents shape kids' hearts and minds.
Can teach kids to think through the filter of God's Word.
Can meet Daddy for lunch.
Have time for prayer and Bible study.
No busy-school-work required like in the public school.
We actually get each other's fresh "best" hours of the day.

My Favorite: I get to sleep with the principal.

Pat on the Back from Palin

2008-10-14T02:07:00.001+08:00

In an interview Governor Palin was asked how she can juggle everything with her children and she responded that she knows many moms who are much busier than she is. She specificallly cites the homeschooling moms.
Her statement about homeschoolers is right at the beginning of this interview from Fox News.

Missing Anything?

2008-10-08T02:02:00.000+08:00

I asked Rachel today if she missed anything about Timber Lane (her old elementary school).
She said, "Yes, the stuffed crust pizza on Friday's."

Well I guess that says a lot, eh?

Temperaments

2008-10-07T03:40:00.000+08:00

Lately I am battling with my 9 year old on certain issues. I cannot seem to understand why she is not as organized, as neat, as thorough, or as efficient as I was at her age. When I was in 4th grade I remember staying up late at night to organize my book shelf, or to rearrange the stuffed animals on my bed in a specific order. But her room constantly looks like a tornado rammed through it. I never recall my mother telling me to clean my room because I kept it clean. And I am constantly on my daughter's case to clean up.
Then something was mentioned at support group last week that made me realize my kids are not ME, hence they will not BE LIKE ME! So my goal is to do a little research (thank you SB) into the different temperaments of my children. Hopefully this will set straight any expectations, especially unrealistic expectations, that I currently have of my children. I also want to research left vs right brain, learning styles, and personality types. For instance, I adore math. It excites me on every level: trig, geometry, algebra. And so of course math is my daughter's least favorite subject! So I cannot understand why she isn't more excited when it comes to math class every day! Hopefully my research will help me be a better teacher and parent to these little ones who are so different from me :)

Rosh Hashanah

2008-10-03T03:46:00.000+08:00

Shanah Tovah! (A Good and Sweet Year!)

Monday night we celebrated Rosh Hashanah. We made a traditional Jewish meal, and 'fancied-it-up' with our nice tablecloth, candles, and wedding china. It was very special. We took part in the traditions such as eating apples and honey for a "sweet new year".

Then Rachel and I attended a Rosh Hashanah service by Jews for Jesus, hosted at McLean Bible Church. Since we are studying the Biblical Feasts in our curriculum, it was really awesome to go to a service and see some of the traditions played out in person.

Rosh Hashanah, also called the Feast of Trumpets, is the beginning of the new year on the Hebrew calendar (counted from lunar months). It is the first of the Jewish High Holy Days. Jewish people celebrate this as an annual day of accounting for one's actions. Obviously we are not Jewish, so we celebrate this as a "spiritual" new year. The blast of the shofar (ram's horn) calls us to humble ourselves and recognize our need for God's grace. We also blow the shofar as a reminder of Jesus's return.

"For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Messiah will rise first," 1Thessalonians 4:16.

We do not have a real shofar, so we use our DC United soccer horn. It is quite effective. I have been waking up Rachel each morning blowing the shofar and saying: "You who are asleep, wake up! You who are in a trance, arise! Search your doings and repent; Remember your Creator..."

Shanah Tovah!

Week 7

2008-09-23T03:41:00.001+08:00

It is Week 7 of our curriculum in My Father's World. I am still loving it!

As a part of this curriculum we study Biblical feasts.

Thus far we have learned about the Sabbath, such as the meaning, how it was celebrated in the past, and how it is celebrated now.

We have definitely been more proactive in incorporating the Sabbath into our weekly lives (unless it is a weekend that Daddy is working). Sunday is our Sabbath, our day of rest.
Rachel and Kevin make challah (bread) on Saturday morning. Rachel loves braiding the bread! And it smells awesome as it bakes in the oven! We have a nice meal Saturday night, break the bread, and remember/praise Jesus for breaking His body for us.
And Sunday is a day of worship, rest, relaxation, and fun. No chores. Nice!

The next Biblical celebration we have studied is Rosh Hashanah. It's next week, followed by Yom Kippur. We have studied all about its significance and meaning. McLean Bible is hosting a Rosh Hashanah service by Jews for Jesus on Sept 29.
I am planning to take Rachel. I think it is really vital to put to life what we are learning in our books. One of our friends at co-op is attending the service, so hopefully we can connect with her family as well.

Martha Zimmerman's book "Celebrating Biblical Feasts in Your Home" explains the importance of learning about these Biblical feasts. She writes, "Biblical festivals are living experiences . . . If your child sees, hears, smells, tastes, and feels the Word of God, profound impressions will be made on that young life!" This really puts into perspective why we are so excited about this curriculum.
We have put life into the things we learn about in the Bible every day.

The first year of this curriculum teaches history and science from the beginning of Creation to the time of the Greeks. Every day we place the Bible's timeline together with the regular World History timeline (Ancient Egyptians, etc.). It is awesome teaching Rachel about Abraham living during the time of the Great Pyramids and the Sphinx. I was never taught this growing up. So in my mind the Bible has always been separate from the world's timeline. It is fascinating for me to learn this now. It really changes my view of the Bible and especially the Old Testament.

There are also a lot of crafts and activities that make learning more of a hands-on process. For example, making cuneiform tablets from rolled out sugar cookies, making reed boats, learning and coloring the rivers and seas of Biblical Times, making pyramids, making plumb-lines to measure pyramids, touring King Tut's tomb online, etc.

It's really great when you look forward to teaching your curriculum every day.

Blessed by Co-op

2008-09-23T03:38:00.001+08:00

Last Thursday I donated several items to the 'giveway table' at support group at our homeschool co-op.
I left them with the intention of blessing other people. What I did not know was that I would leave the day being blessed 5x over!!

God is so good. He just keeps proving to me over and over again that we Cannot Outgive God! He just keeps pouring it back!

So my 5 blessings were:
1) a friend gave me a bag of size 1 diapers that her baby has outgrown,
2) I picked up a box of donuts someone was giving away (thank you says the pregnant woman who ate 2 topped with Whipped Cream that night),
3) another co-op mom was giving away 4 yr. old girl clothes and I was blessed with a few jeans/shirts for Emma for next year,
4) My neighbor/co-op friend emailed me that night asking me if I would be interested in having some dresses her 4 yr old outgrew last year (Of course I am!), and
5) I also picked up a few resources as well on the 'giveaway table' such as a few activity books, math flashcards, and some craft accessories I needed for this week's craft projects!

Wow! So I came home last Thursday completely overwhelmed with feelings of gratutitude and thankfulness.

'Cause this is what community is all about. I love being in a community of believers!
You know, the Acts 2:42 community:

42 They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

I am so glad we are plugged in to this awesome co-op and I look forward to the rest of the year here!

Homeschool Co-op

2008-09-04T02:41:00.001+08:00

Homeschool co-op begins tomorrow! Co-op is on Thursday mornings and it supplements what I am teaching Rachel at home. It offers her classes that are not easy for me to teach her by myself. Last year she took art, drama, choir, handbells, and P.E. (among other things). This year Rachel is taking a Literature class based on the Little House on the Prairie series, Mandarin Chinese I, and Virginia state history.

I am especially looking forward to the support group sessions. I always learn so much just by watching the other moms and hearing their stories. There is such a great exchange of resources and information that goes on each Thursday!

To kick off Rachel's start of the Virginia state history class, we are planning a trip to Williamsburg in a couple of weeks. Colonial Williamsburg offers homeschooler days, where the tickets per person are only $5 a day, or $8 for 2+ days. Unbelievable, especially considering tickets are normally priced $40-$50 a person, per day!

What a blessing!

Fall Activities

2008-08-28T04:11:00.000+08:00

We did not sign up for Fishe soccer this semester. I love the program, but decided to take a break since Baby #4 will be debuting soon.

Instead, we have registered Rachel for Homeschool Swim at the Providence Rec Center on Monday's. And Emma is registered for Gymnastics at the rec center for 3 year olds. She is so excited about it! She always says, "I'm a great climber." So I hope she will have fun tumbling in the class with the other kids!

And these are classes, not co-ops. So I don't have to do any work (!), other than keeping up with my 18 mo. old while the older girls are in their classes.

Summer Reading Program

2008-08-28T04:00:00.000+08:00

Gotta love Fairfax County's Summer Reading Program. The girls read (or I read to the little ones) 15 books over the summer. We then filled out three forms (one for each girl) and they each received a coupon book.

In each book are several different coupons: free ice cream at McD's, free cone at Cold Stone Creamery, free book at Barnes-n-Noble, free pizza at Jerry's, free donut at Krispy Kreme, etc.

So we've been having fun over the past few weeks going to the different places to get their rewards!

2008-08-28T03:53:00.000+08:00

Crafts, crafts, more crafts!

I have been doing activities with the girls lately that require my presence, such as reading books outloud, constructing Leggo buildings, karaoke, scavenger hunts, etc.

Then today we painted rocks outside on newspaper. It didn't require my presence at all! And it was terribly fun for the kids.

Rachel painted a rock turtle, with all its legs and tail. (She plans to super-glue those on but I'm not sure how that will work!).

And I just sat back and did what I wanted (i.e. rested). It was a nice break. So now I am researching and trying to incorporate more individual craft time.

Not sure why I did not think of this before...

School is in Session!

2008-08-21T02:24:00.001+08:00

We are in the middle of Week #2 of Fourth grade!
The immediate differences I notice between this year and last year are:

1) My belly is so big and it's so hard for me to get up and down, that I must gather all my needed supplies and plop them down next to me before we get started. No jumping up to write on the bulletin board, chalk board, etc. I demonstrate everything on a piece of paper now!

2) Using different curriculum for different subjects requires more work on my part than using Abeka for everything. I actually have a separate planner that I write the assignments in each week. So it definitely takes a lot more prep work for me.

3) We have 3 different chalk boards/dry erase boards where I have written our Daily Schedule, Weekly Activities/Crafts, and Daily Chores. I had a system last year in a notebook, but this is much better because both Rachel and I can glance up at the wall and see where we are during the day and see what needs to be done.

4) We also started a bulletin board with calendar and weather this year. It is exciting to sit the girls down every morning and go over the days of the week, current weather outside, Pledge of Allegiance, etc. Of course Rachel knows all this already, but it's very nice for consistency purposes. I believe kids need to have a mindset of where we are in the space of time, as opposed to blindly wandering through each day (which is easy to do when you're home every day).

5) I learned from last year that winter can be very long when you have kids that cannot go outside due to the cold weather. So we spend as much time as possible outdoors. We've been outside all summer! The kids haven't played with many of their toys for weeks. I never want our house space to get boring to them. I also researched several fun winter activities we can do together, such as having a winter picnic with soup and hot cocoa and spray painting the snow with food coloring in a water bottle.

6) We've switched off cable, and switched on a lot more family games and activities such as nighttime read-alouds and karaoke (even with the 3 yr old and 1 yr old!).

7) We're spending tons more time at the public library. I think I have 47 books out right now! One of the things I love so much about My Father's World curriculum is that they have a list of recommended books that correspond with the weekly material. The Fairfax County library is so awesome in that I can log in to my account online at home, type in the book I want, and place it on hold. When my list of books arrive from the other libraries in the county, they hold it for 6 days for me to pick it up. I go in every Friday and pick up my books. This is very beneficial when I have two kids with me that literally dump all the books off the shelves when we get inside the library! Now I don't spend an hour finding the books that I need on the shelf myself!

8) We switched to Saxon Math. The first 50 lessons are basically review...so we skipped it. Since I am teaching the kids more on a year-round basis, as opposed to 3 months off in summer, I realize I do not need to spend two months reviewing from the previous year. We just keep on learning! So in reality that means I'll be buying more textbooks more often, but so what? Why should I keep my kids at a certain level just because a particular curriculum says so?

Anyway, now our little 5 week break is over so I'll hopefully update my blog more! I guess I have been 'summer breaking' from it as well!

Happy School Year!

Goals

2008-07-29T04:08:00.000+08:00

I sat down to begin writing out our goals for the children this semester (spiritual, academic, social, and physical) and I came across this website.

Love this article on socialization!!

http://www.homeschoolers.org/what_about_socialization

Busy Kids?

2008-07-16T07:18:00.000+08:00

There's an article in the Post today entitled "Too-Busy Teens Feel Health Toll".

Articles like this reiterate to me over and over again why I am so adament about Slowing Down the Pace of the Lifestyle of My Family.

And it is definitely an intentional choice we make every day. And it's hard to do - because everybody else around us is in such a hurry! I'm not in a hurry for the day to be over with. I'm not in a hurry for my kids to grow up and leave me! Slow down! Enjoy life!

A few years ago I also made a point (thanks to our former Pastor Russell at DCC) not to tell people that I'm busy. Because I'm not! I might have several things going on in one particular day (like running errands) but I purposely don't fill our schedule with events that might stress us out.

The article pointed out that unstructured time is essential for teenagers to figure out who they are and what they want, but yet unstructured time tends to be regarded as laziness or being unproductive. What a tragedy!

I refuse to live vicariously through my children or demand they must get into the "best" schools. It's not about ME. My kids' lives are about THEM. I refuse to burden my kids with unattainable goals. It's so unhealthy. How do I expect to have a relationship with my kid if they harbor all these feelings against me for forcing them to compete and be involved in constant, exhausting activities?

We spend 2-3 hours outside every day. I sit in my lawn chair. And the girls run around in the yard and play. They play hide-and-seek behind the bushes. They count the neighbor's rocks in the driveway. They splash in their water table. They build castles in the sand. They ride on the tire swing in the tree. They push each other in their little cars. And I watch them and adore every moment I have with them. Simplicity.

Rachel's Curriculum 2007-2008

2008-07-16T03:47:00.003+08:00

In our first year of homeschooling we decided to go with a more traditional curriculum for the first go 'round. Here is what we used:

A Beka: Math, Language Arts, Spelling, Penmanship, Health, Science, and History.
Bob Jones University: Reading
Bible Study Guide for All Ages: Bible

Chick Awakening

2008-07-16T02:02:00.000+08:00

So here's what I found when I woke up that morning. I was intending just to record the sound of the baby chicks peeping in their eggs. But then I found this...

The Incubator

2008-05-29T06:55:00.000+08:00

At co-op this semester we had the opportunity to particate in an egg hatching through the 4-H.

Here's the incubator that we rented from our group. Actually, use of the incubator is free and we paid $12 for food, the eggs, and a book about Embryonic Hatching.

We put the eggs in the incubator the afternoon we got them. So the next day was Day 1.

They are supposed to hatch on Day 21.

For the next three weeks, we open the lid and turn the eggs 2 -3 times a day. (Or rather, Rachel turns the eggs!)

There is a thermometer on top of the eggs. They must stay 100 degrees F.

We candled the eggs around Day 14. Candling is the process of putting a flashlight up to the eggs to determine the contents. If you see nothing, then the eggs were never fertilized. If you see a big dark blob, then the egg is a dead egg.

So after candling we concluded 2 eggs were never fetilized, and the rest were dead. Rachel cried herself to sleep that night.

I emailed our Hatching Director and she said they were most likely fine and not to worry.

We've been dilligently turning the eggs, but with sorrowful hearts, convinced we had killed them somehow (temperature too hot, not turned enough, etc).

Today the eggs are 20 days old.

I took off the lid earlier so I could mist the eggs (spray warm water on them).

Immediately when I took the lid off I heard a cheep-cheep, peep-peep. Little cheeping!

At first I didn't realize what I was hearing.

But I leaned in closer and realized the baby chicks are cheeping inside their eggs!!

They aren't dead after all!!!

Rachel was at a playdate next door, so I ran over and told her the eggs are cheeping!

I'd love to listen to them all day, but unfortunately we have to put the lid back on the incubator so the temperature stays 100 degrees.

So tomorrow the eggs will be 21 days old. Stay tuned...

Read At Your Own Risk

2008-05-19T22:40:00.000+08:00

Welcome to our homeschooling blog, where we will chronicle the ups and downs of homeschooling in Northern Virginia.

Be forewarned, though, that my opinions appear on this page.

If you are not a homeschooler, some things I write about might be offensive to you.
To each his own - I am not suggesting how you should raise your children or what curriculum you should use. Sharing of information and resources. That's what I'm all about.

At first I was not very outspoken about being a homeschooler. Then over time I have realized that non-homeschoolers have no hesitations about giving their opinions, which are usually stereotypical, uninformed misconceptions about homeschoolers.
So now I have such a freedom in talking about our decision to homeschool.

I realize this is not 'normal' in mainstream American society. For a long time I let society fool me into believing I was supposed to slave away at a job all day while a daycare raised my children.

Not quite sure what hit me - perhaps the aching in my heart every time I dropped off my baby at daycare.
Or the fact my one year old would leap out of my arms and laugh when she saw her daycare provider.
Either way, I finally realized what is important in life - and it is not a paycheck.

Yes, we like to eat (!) so my husband continues to take on the role of providing financially for our family.
I have taken on the role of providing my children's educational, spiritual, recreational, and socializational needs (among too many others to list!).

Happy Reading. Please leave a comment. I love visiting other Homeschooling Bloggers' sites!

First Soccer Game!

2008-05-19T22:29:00.000+08:00

Pine Ridge vs. South Run

We love playing games at South Run. The fields are really nice. Some of them are astroturf as well (just like Poplar Tree's fields). And there is a huge hill for the kids to play on.

Yes, the game has started. There's a bug on her arm. Some things are more important than a ball and ten other kids barrelling toward you.

La dee da.

Halftime break! Coach is discussing strategy and positions for the next half.

End of the Year Concert

2008-05-19T22:00:00.001+08:00

At co-op Thursday the students participated in the end of the year concert.

There are many talents among the kids at co-op, from the piano, flute, clarinet, and handbells.

Rachel was one of the handbell performers. I had never seen her do this before!

The sound was amazing from all those little handbells. It was awesome to see how much she has learned in the handbell class this year.

Drama Night

2008-05-19T21:52:00.001+08:00

Rachel's drama class participated in Drama Night at co-op a couple of weeks ago.

Her class performed "Caps for Sale", a folktale. Rachel was a narrator and a monkey in the tree.

It was beautiful! Emma even sat still long enough to watch her sister perform.

Congratulations on a good job Rachel!

Why Do You Homeschool?

2008-05-17T02:32:00.001+08:00

My oldest daughter attended a public Fairfax County Elementary School for kindergarten, first grade, and second grade.

She had the BEST kindergarten teacher I have ever met. You know, one of those teachers who teaches because she really loves the children and wants to see them excel.

And my favorite part of FCPS is the diversity. Heck, it's the reason I love living in the D.C. area so much - if you name any country, I probably know someone who originates from that country.

Rachel had friends in her class from Russia, China, India, Pakistan, Vietnam, Honduras, El Salvador, Bolivia, and on and on. I loved it!

But something went awry in her second grade year. Rachel winded up having three different teachers during her second grade year. And while I understand that things happen (teachers move, classes expand and need to be split, etc), the school also needs to understand that my child is not a ping-pong ball. Cause that's exactly how I felt she was being treated. Poor Rachel still talks about her favorite teacher that moved to Florida!

Maintaining Consistency and Stability is a very important element for our family. And I felt like the exact opposite was happening in the classroom.

Also, when Rachel was in kindergarten, I was able to volunteer in her classroom. I actually went to the library every day for 3 1/2 months (this was when we first moved here and I didn't have a job yet) and stayed for 2 hours shelving books, helping Rachel's class check out books, etc.
I often drove back up the school and had lunch with Rachel as well. I was very involved with her school life.

So fast forward to her second grade year, after I had a second and third child and decided to stay home after litigating for 2 years. I was excited to be able to participate in Rachel's school life again.
But then I realized that couldn't happen - I tried having lunch with Rachel a few times, but it was very difficult with a newborn and a 1 1/2 year old. We were a terrible distraction to the other students at lunchtime, so forget volunteering in the classroom. Rachel's first grade teacher wouldn't even let me volunteer in the classroom with just one child at the time.

I could literally feel Rachel slipping away from me. She got off the bus at 4:00pm, we got home and settled around 4:30pm, Daddy came home, I started dinner immediately, 6:00 dinnertime and cleanup, 7:00pm bathtime for the 2 little ones, and then 7:30pm bedtime for the
little ones.

So the grand total of time left for Rachel was a precious half hour from 8:00-8:30 when I was completely exhausted at the end of the day. I felt like she was getting hardly none of me at all (she wasn't!), and then only the worst part of me.

My good friend and neighbor homeschools her kids. And the bus stop is literally right in front of her house. (I don't believe that is a coincidence, by the way). So I saw her and her children every morning and every afternoon. I had never considered homeschooling because I just didn't know anything about it. At all. And she was (is) such an inspiration to me. She gladly sat down with me and told me all about support groups in the area, soccer league, co -ops, etc.

Many aspects of parenting seem to be over once kindergarten begins. (I've heard quite a few moms say this.) And in a lot of ways it does. But once my eyes were opened to the idea of homeschooling, I began to realize that not only could I get my little girl back, but that I don't ever have to hand my precious five-year-olds over to the public school system again.

I can teach them what I want to! When I want to! How I want to! It seems like such a novel concept, eh?

Homeschooling is definitely a change of lifestyle. So really the question to me isn't "Why Do You Homeschool", but rather "Why Don't You Homeschool?".

It's just really the only option for our family.

Update on the Caterpillars

2008-05-11T08:04:00.000+08:00

The cover on Rachel's caterpillar 'habitat' (five gallon bucket) had a hole in it. Since it rained around four inches in two days, the poor caterpillars experienced something along the lines of Noah and the Flood. All but one caterpillar died. That one caterpillar was hanging on the side of the bucket, fighting for his life...

Fortunately for the girls, there is a Humongous (is that a word?)

caterpillar nest in our tree in the front yard.

The girls collected about 40 caterpillars in one morning.

Emma is too afraid to hold them, unlike Rachel!, but loves to pet them. Here's a few up close shots of one of the little guys. Listen carefully, can you hear him screaming?

Cat Test Results

2008-05-11T07:35:00.000+08:00

We received our CAT tests results in the mail yesterday - surprisingly quick as I just mailed it out on Monday. I am thoroughly impressed with Seton Testing Services.
So now we're off to mailing it to our county Superintendent.

In Virginia, the state/county requires, "Evidence that the child has attained a composite score in or above the fourth stanine on any nationally normed standardized achievement tests."

We are required to mail the test results, "By August 1 following the school year in which the child has received home instruction."

In Fairfax, we mail it to:

Home Instruction
Fairfax County School Administration Center
8115 Gatehouse Road, Suite 4700
Falls Church, VA 22042

So I'm off to the post office. Nice to get all the testing and paperwork out of the way!

Used Book Consignment Sale

2008-05-10T02:31:00.001+08:00

This weekend was the annual Used Curriculum Book Sale at our co-op.
It was awesomely fun to volunteer and sort the books.
We volunteers were also able to shop first before the public opening.
I was able to get all of Rachel's Math and Language Arts curriculum for next year.
The materials I bought all look brand new. It's unbelievable.
I checked the new prices online, and I saved about 70%. Wow.
I want to try My Father's World, Creation to the Greeks for our Science, History, and Bible next year. I love the idea of many subjects in one lesson.
I guess we'll see how that goes!

Caterpillar Season

2008-05-07T22:07:00.000+08:00

It is definitely caterpillar season on our street!
Every time we go outside the girls find several new ones.
We put a limit on the number of 'indoor caterpillars' - 3.
The others are outside in a habitat Rachel made for them.
Today Rachel will research the life cycle and habits of the caterpillar (such as what type of food they eat, how much they eat, etc.) and write a report for Daddy.
Emma loves the caterpillars as well, so I want Rachel to sit down with her and teach her what she learns during her research. Teaching something to another person is a lot different than only writing a report, so maybe Rachel will get a lot out of the experience of teaching to her little sister.

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

2008-05-06T00:43:00.001+08:00

Here is a site with lots of Cinco de Mayo activities - some of which we want to do today.

Have fun with your kiddos! Cinco de Mayo Homeschooling Resources

Okay so we began yesterday with a lesson on the history of Cinco de Mayo. Boy did I learn a lot! We actually winded up talking in depth (researching on the internet) about the Mexican-American War.

Next we did a few activities. Rachel's favorite was the word search in Espanol! It took her quite a while longer than normal to find all the Spanish words!

Then Rachel helped me prepare the meal for our Fiesta de Mexico.

We prepared Mexican Pizza, copying ZPizza with the sliced avocado, drizzled sour cream and adding taco seasoned ground beef, cheddar cheese, chopped cilantro (yummy), sprinkled with paprika and cumin. Finally, we made guacamole, homemade salsa, and corn & black bean relish.

The fiesta was quite a success. My 2 year old saw the confetti on the table and screamed, "We're havin' a PARTY!"

My girls love celebrations!!

Classical Conversations

2008-05-02T02:53:00.000+08:00

Wow everybody is buzzing about Classical Conversations for next year.
There are so many more locations for next year, too, from McLean to Alexandria to Falls Church.
CC is a once-a-week, supplemental, academic program that follows the Classical Model in a Christian setting. I have heard only positive things about CC. However, it might be a bit hard for our family to be a part of since we will have 3 little ones at that point under the age of 3...But it's definitely worth checking out.
There's also a free 3-day Parent Practicum in Fairfax on June 12-14 that we're thinking of attending as well.

Cold Day of Soccer

2008-05-01T03:47:00.003+08:00

Great day at FISHE soccer today. I couldn't believe the weather - it's in the low 50's and breeeezy! But we were so glad the fields were open since it rained a ton this weekend and Monday.

For those of you that don't know about FISHE soccer, it's a soccer league made up of homeschoolers in Northern Virginia. There are so many homeschoolers in Fairfax County that we fill up three different teams, one in Annandale (our team), one in Springfield, and one in Chantilly. All 3 teams rotate and play against each other each season. At the end of the season there is a day-long tournament at South Run. So fun!

I love the whole concept of FISHE soccer - a mom of 8 kids can drive to one field and every child has a place. Even the little ones that are too young to play are dropped off at babysitting. It is a co-op, meaning Mom volunteers in some capacity as either coach, team mom, field coordinator, or babysitter (which is what I do). Soccer is Wednesday's from 1p-3p. The only downside is that Dad is at work. He comes for tournament day, though! Major upside is that our weekends are free - we are not traipsing around town to practices and games each weekend. What a relief and a blessing FISHE has been!

Cat Testing Time!

2008-04-28T21:03:00.001+08:00

This Thursday Rachel will take her annual CAT test. We will spend today and Tuesday doing practice tests.
We use Seton Tests, as they are the most inexpensive one I have found. It's only $25 for the test and scoring. And I can administer it at home whenever we want to. We don't have to take Rachel to a testing center - major convenience!
Happy Testing week everyone!

Homeschoolers' Milestones

2008-04-26T02:42:00.001+08:00

There have been specific points in my life when I feel as if all my hard work has paid off.

For example, graduating college, passing the Va bar exam, getting my first real job as a lawyer, etc. These are all huge milestones that prove how 'good' a job I did and how hard I worked to obtain that goal.

So what do these milestones look like as a homeschooling mom? We talk about this sometimes at my co-op support group. Obviously I am not bringing home a paycheck every week that determines whether or not I am doing a good job.

Well Sunday was definitely a Homeschoolers' Milestone moment for me. Rachel came out of Kids Quest and was so excited. Her eyes were twinkling. She said they had played a game of Bible Jeopardy. She said she picked the topic "Books of the Bible". I knew immediately why she was so excited. Rachel can name the first 19 books of the New Testament. We've been working on that in our Bible class every day. So of course she knew questions such as "Name the 4 gospels", "Name the first book of the Old Testament", "Name the first book of Letters", "Name the book of Prophecy". I was excited for her! I even heard her teacher say to her, "Rachel you did really well today."

Man what encouragement! I know what I am teaching Rachel is important, but when she is able to communicate that to other people in a different forum, it just proves to me all over again why we do this Homeschooling Thing :)

Rain Rain Go Away

2008-04-25T02:33:00.000+08:00

I love the rain. I always have. I love to open all the doors and windows to hear the rain falling. Thunder and lightning are an added bonus. Growing up, my parents' home had (has) a tin roof. Sometimes the rainfall was so loud in the living room that you couldn't even hear anybody talking!
It has rained several inches here in the D.C. area in the past few days. All day Sunday. All day Monday. And it puts me in such a good mood. But not a 9 year old, 2 year old, and 1 year old! They have become a little stir crazy here in the house. We've definitely been watching a little more PBS than we usually do!
So for their sakes, I am happy to look outside right now and see sunshine. We will definitely be going out to play in the yard when everyone wakes up from nap!